I have been using Nikon's MONARCH BLACK X1000 and FORCE 1000 for about 6 weeks now and they are just what you guy's have asked for from Nikon. True MOA/MRad turrets/reticle, 30mm tube, Illumination, upgraded glass and Nikon's Industry leading warranty. A buddy who has the BLACK X1000 4-16 IL MOA was popping steel past 700 yards recently and had nothing but rave reviews for the set-up. The peive is also what will really peak a lot if intent as well, Top price for the X1000 6-24 MRAD Il is $650. Just under $600 for the other illuminated reticle models.

I have been using Nikon's MONARCH BLACK X1000 and FORCE 1000 for about 6 weeks now and they are just what you guy's have asked for from Nikon. True MOA/MRad turrets/reticle, 30mm tube, Illumination, upgraded glass and Nikon's Industry leading warranty. A buddy who has the BLACK X1000 4-16 IL MOA was popping steel past 700 yards recently and had nothing but rave reviews for the set-up. The peive is also what will really peak a lot if intent as well, Top price for the X1000 6-24 MRAD Il is $650. Just under $600 for the other illuminated reticle models.

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I just picked up the x1000 6-24 MRAD FOR $540 shipped.
Who makes the level built into the scope ring shown in the picture?
Are there better levels out there?

I did some 100 yard load testing with it. Adjustments were good and solid, glass is very nice for the price. Reticle is exactly the thickness I like for a hunting rifle. Shrugged off the recoil and muzzle blast from my 338-375 Ruger with no issues. It has a muzzle brake, but it still kicks pretty hard and the muzzle blast is pretty intense from the load I settled on which pushes the 250gr Berger Elite Hunter at 2952 fps using RL16
(26" Brux 1 in 10" twist barrel).

I checked it out in low light and it is very useable on 24X in the waning minutes of daylight which is pretty amazing for a 50mm objective. Speaks volumes for the glass and coatings.

Haven't got around to really putting it to the test with dialing for long range and returning to zero

I don't wish to be negative, but is there any truth to the rather disturbingly large numbers of bad reviews I have read on the net concerning Nikon's CS when their product has issues?

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That's an extremely important question. I have 5 Nikon cameras, 3 Nikon speedlights, about a dozen Nikon lenses, 3 Nikon riflescopes and an older Nikon spotting scope. I never needed to talk to Nikon's CS.

I don't wish to be negative, but is there any truth to the rather disturbingly large numbers of bad reviews I have read on the net concerning Nikon's CS when their product has issues?

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I dealt with them a few times with very positive results. One time about 8-10 years ago when I dropped my Monarch 1200 rangefinder on a concrete slab (I didnt exactly disclose that information being that there was no evidence of external damage) and it would no longer range over 250 yards. My rangefinder was camo in color and they only had black in stock. Said they could repair mine or send me a brand new black color RF. I opted for the new black one and it was at my door in less than a week free of charge.

Used to call them about every other year to get new scope turret caps for my monarch scopes that I seemed to lose on a regular basis when I'd take them off to dial in a shot on an animal during hunting season. They always shipped them out no questions asked and completely free of charge.

I dealt with them a few times with very positive results. One time about 8-10 years ago when I dropped my Monarch 1200 rangefinder on a concrete slab (I didnt exactly disclose that information being that there was no evidence of external damage) and it would no longer range over 250 yards. My rangefinder was camo in color and they only had black in stock. Said they could repair mine or send me a brand new black color RF. I opted for the new black one and it was at my door in less than a week free of charge.

Used to call them about every other year to get new scope turret caps for my monarch scopes that I seemed to lose on a regular basis when I'd take them off to dial in a shot on an animal during hunting season. They always shipped them out no questions asked and completely free of charge.

So for me personally, Nikon Sporting Optics CS has been top notch

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That's good to know. I learned a long time ago to treat most negative reviews of things from what are essentially anonymous sources making unsubstantiated claims, as rather suspect.

That's good to know. I learned a long time ago to treat most negative reviews of things from what are essentially anonymous sources making unsubstantiated claims, as rather suspect.

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I can only account for my own experiences and they have been very positive. I know that the Nikon camera division isn't the same as Nikon sport optics so relevance of the CS reviews cannot get generalized for Nikon as a whole.

Nikon has even taken their warranty a step further and added "no fault" lifetime coverage to their nicer sport optic lines. I'm sure this was due to Vortex taking a huge piece of the mid priced optic market with their amazing warranty coverage. Starting to see a lot of companies migrating to the Vortex style warranty to stay competitive with Vortex in the market.

I owned Nikon cameras loved them, when the circuit board went out on my F3 in 88, one phone call, got an RGA to service bam UPS! Got a phone call in 2 weeks with a estimate of out of warranty repairs, and in warranty repairs along with additional suggestions of personnel care I should be doing better! (That bad boy moment) I am sure a lot has changed in 30 years but my first scope last year was Nikon so I still believe!

Awesome thread and I can not wait to read the review Ledd Slinger. I am currently looking into the x1000 for a tikka T3X in .300 Win Mag. I want to use the DNZ game reaper mount but I am having trouble deciding what mount to purchase. Any help or input from anyone would be great. I tried to find some specs on the x1000 to help me make my decision but have yet to do so. I believe I need the DNZ medium?

Awesome thread and I can not wait to read the review Ledd Slinger. I am currently looking into the x1000 for a tikka T3X in .300 Win Mag. I want to use the DNZ game reaper mount but I am having trouble deciding what mount to purchase. Any help or input from anyone would be great. I tried to find some specs on the x1000 to help me make my decision but have yet to do so. I believe I need the DNZ medium?

I plan to purchase (as of now pending Ledds further review) the x1000 in 4-16x50

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I was planning on doing a full in depth review, but there's nothing 'exceptional' about the scope. It doesn not have any weak points I can find nor does it hold a huge advantage over other similar optics. It's just a very nice solid and rugged piece of glass with all the standard long range bells and whistles. Now this is something new for Nikon, but not for other manufacturers. Nikon has done a really good job with the scope, but there's nothing youll find 'above and beyond' in the X1000 over what other manufacturers have been offering in long range optics for quite some time now. It's just nice to see Nikon has finally decided to join the pack

Plus a few folks with prior experience on the X1000 chimed in on the topic so I think everything was pretty much covered. I don't think anyone would be displeased with the X1000 for the price.

I was planning on doing a full in depth review, but there's nothing 'exceptional' about the scope. It doesn not have any weak points I can find nor does it hold a huge advantage over other similar optics. It's just a very nice solid and rugged piece of glass with all the standard long range bells and whistles. Now this is something new for Nikon, but not for other manufacturers. Nikon has done a really good job with the scope, but there's nothing youll find 'above and beyond' in the X1000 over what other manufacturers have been offering in long range optics for quite some time now. It's just nice to see Nikon has finally decided to join the pack

Plus a few folks with prior experience on the X1000 chimed in on the topic so I think everything was pretty much covered. I don't think anyone would be displeased with the X1000 for the price.

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Led, would you recommend any other scopes in line with the x1000? I am in the process of setting up a tikka t3x in .300 Win Mag

Led, would you recommend any other scopes in line with the x1000? I am in the process of setting up a tikka t3x in .300 Win Mag

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Black X1000 is a great scope for the money and with a No Fault lifetime warranty, its a heck of a deal.

Otherwise its hard to beat a Sightron SIII. Hearing good things about the new and more affordable Sightron S-TAC too.

Another company I've been checking out is Athlon optics. They are becoming what Vortex was when they first started. Athlon is beating out the market on prices with comparable optics using the same warranty as Vortex. I've looked through a couple of the scopes and they are very nice for the money.

What Nikon offers is a "no fault policy", and as such, they can change/reword that policy at any time. Their "limited lifetime warranty" is legally fairly easy to restrict and wriggle out of. Warranties cover materials and workmanship. A "lifetime Guarantee" (LEUPOLD), is a completely different ballgame When you purchase quality, what you paid for a warranty really doesn't mean much. Nikon has a very good reputation for producing quality.

I just picked up an Athlon Argos 6-30x56 riflescope today. I was planning on just looking through it, but ended up leaving the store with it. It doesnt feel quite as rugged as the Black X1000, but the glass is every bit as good, probably even better on the same power settings IMO. 30X is still nice and clear and very useable. The 56mm objective gives a very bright picture as well. Somehow Athlon managed to get 60 MOA of elevation and windage into this scope with a 30mm body. I actually counted 64 MOA from top to bottom while verifying the reticle was actually moving the entire time. It also has a very nice glass etched reticle that is just the right thickness for my taste. Thin, but not too thin where it would be hard to make out on targets in low light. I did notice some chromatic aberration at long range on 25X and higher. Not too bad tho. Still a good clear picture.

I owned a Bushnell Elite 6500 5-30x50 a few years ago and the Athlon Argos glass is no doubt better by a long shot. The Elite 6500 was horrible on 30X, nearly unusable. The Argos maintains nice clarity. It also has crazy long eye relief all the way through the entire power range. I actually couldn't believe how far back I was off the eyepiece at 30X.

The Argos turrets have a nice solid feel with positive clicks, but I don't like them as much as the Black X1000. The argos turrets are much smaller in diameter and get tighter as you dial elevation down. They have a lot of erector spring resistance on the very bottom end, then have very little resistance as you get to the very top end. But they do have 15 MOA per revolution so that is good. Regardless of felt tension, the reticle is still moving just fine, but I like a more consistent feel through the adjustments like the Black X has.
With the Argos only setting me back $349 and considering it has a completely unconditional warranty exactly like Vortex which only requires you to be in possession of the optic to make a claim, I wouldnt hesitate to recommend the Argos 6-30x56 scope.

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